Air travel is becoming increasingly ubiquitous and accessible due to the availability of low cost flights and increased air routes being served by airlines across the globe.
The U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) reported in 2014, that U.S. airlines and foreign airlines serving the United States carried an all-time high of 848.1 million system-wide (domestic and international) scheduled service passengers, which was 2.5 percent more than in 2013 and 1.2 percent more than the previous record-high of 838.4 million reached in 2007.
Internationally, commercial passenger airlines logged 50.9 million flight hours with nearly twenty-four million departures and over 2.8 billion passengers fly for an average of over 2 hours per departure. At any given moment, there are approximately 690,000 passengers in the air. The trend is only increasing. Global air passenger traffic grew by 6.5% in 2015 as a whole, well above the 10-year average annual growth of 5.5%.
Unfortunately, air travel also comes with increasing health concerns, particularly, regarding back and neck pain associated with airline seating. While seat comfort is a subjective issue, the effect that poorly designed airline seats have on posture is undeniable.
It is well known by those in the industry that undue stress is placed on the human body when subjected to static positioning over long periods of time. People complain about neck pain only second to headaches. Neck pain is most likely due to poor posture. Multiple studies suggest that a substantial number of people experience increased neck pain following a flight. For frequent travelers, or those who have prior neck issues may find that putting their posture under pressure may result in a higher risk of long-term neck problems.
A major factor in travel-related neck discomfort is the seats themselves. The majority of coach seats have no adjustments for lumbar support. As well, the tops of the seats push the head forward, forcing the body into an awkward posture and causing strain on the neck muscles.
Neck problems are particularly acute for those passengers attempting to sleep on flights. Without head and neck support, passengers find themselves lolling to the side or falling forward, putting additional acute strain on the neck and upper vertebrae. However, this acute strain can result in gradual and long-term effects on posture.
For those few airlines that have seats with some type of headrest mechanism, they rarely support the head to the extent necessary to avoid neck strain. Experts suggest that passengers move around the cabin, but that is not always possible due to air conditions such as turbulence or during service times by airline flight attendants. Passengers in center seats have additional concerns due to the inability to lean to the side as can be done in window seats or being able to stretch their legs as with aisle seats. Many international flights have a 5-seat center configuration where middle seat passengers have additional difficulties leaving their seats.
It is suggested that sitting at a 135 degree angle places the least pressure on the vertebral discs and associated structures; however, that level of recline is rarely available on current coach airplanes, although some first-class cabins, particularly trans-continental flights, include seats that recline for sleeping.
To alleviate neck pain, passengers have turned to various neck pillows, which claim to add additional head support alleviating pain and discomfort while traveling. However, the travel pillows currently on the market are missing important functional components and have problems such as having a poor fit that allows too much head movement or not allowing enough head and neck movement, being made form materials that don't have enough strength to support the head, and none include a means of sufficiently supporting the head from falling forward.
For example, the following represent travel pillows on the market today.
The Kuh i Comfort Travel Pillow is made of two soft cylindrical balls, attached by a strap. According to company literature, the advantage of this pillow is that it can be used in multiple ways. In one position, it can be used behind a person's neck or head. A person can straighten the strap and the person can tuck one end over the shoulder for side support, or the pillow can be placed behind the back for lumbar support. Unfortunately, the lack of stiffness across the entire device provides inefficient support, particularly when it comes to forward head support.
The Cab eau Evolution Pillow is a modified version of the traditional ring pillow. It's made of memory foam and has raised side supports to cradle your neck or can be worn backwards to support your chin. However, it does not support the head all around, including the chin, allowing for too much head and neck movement and not enough support. There is also too much space between the chest and the device, and the device allows the head to fall forward to a point where the unit puts pressure on the neck, making it hard to breathe.
The Travelrest Travel Pillow is shaped like a banana and is about the length of a person's head to waist. It is meant to be a side resting pillow. It is larger on the top, to rest your head, and then tapers into a slight curve that is placed across the body, similar to a sling. A long string at the bottom lets a person attach the two ends to secure the pillow around the passenger's waist or to the airplane seat. The pillow, while generally supportive, only supports one side of the head. For those that wish to switch positions, they must untie and readjust the pillow. As well, the device has no chin support, making it difficult to use on airline seats with minimal recline. Furthermore, this pillow is not compact enough to easily stow and carry when traveling.
The generic inflatable neck pillow is one of the most popular and easy-to-find travel pillows on the market. These pillows are shaped like a horseshoe, draped around the neck and tied in the front. The inflatable air pillow relies on air pressure for support. However, the air pressure is often variable, depending upon the aircraft flying altitude. When the aircraft flies in the higher altitude, the air pillow will expand and it will contract in the lower altitude. The change in pressure can be problematic and disturbing to aircraft passengers when the flying altitude changes. As well, one of the main drawbacks of an inflatable pillow is that the air moves in the opposite direction as a result of the pressure applied by someone's head, leaving an uneven pressure gradient throughout the inflatable pillow. Most of the inflatable air pillows are made from vinyl material that will cause the user to feel hot and sticky. These traditional pillows are not breathable and can result in the person breaking out with acne on the chest, neck, and chin. However, the advantage of the inflatable pillow is the ease of storage and its light weight.